Two Souls
by Lemony Apple
Summary: MegErik Marguerite Giry and Erik the Opera Ghost may be different in many aspects but they were both similar in others. They are reborn as ordinary citizens, and Erik and Meg make a pact seperate the Dream Team, Raoul and Christine.
1. Prologue

TWO SOULS

Prologue

* * *

Marguerite Giry was eighty-two years old when she died. She had seven children, three very much grown and even with grand children. 

She died quite painlessly in her sleep, from old age.

Her old husband created a beautiful funeral for his beloved wife. Her funeral was attended by most of the upper crust of all the respectable Parisian Society. She was laid in a crypt big enough for the both she and her husband to be together, even after their end.

After the funeral, the count du Barrie never wore any color except black. He never went to any more smart parties. He existed on her memory alone. It was a solemn and uneventful life for him after Marguerite, but he seemed content with mourning her until he died- five years later.

Her children and grandchildren, even great grandchildren, all mourned the loss of Marguerite.

They visited her grave on her anniversary, and during some tough spots in a marriage or trying to discipline little Jacques because he simply refused to study his arithmetic, her family often recalled her memory and wondered what she would do in this situation.

Yes, though in death, Marguerite Giry somehow remained alive.

* * *

Erik the Opera Ghost was thirty years old when he died. He drowned himself in the lake underneath the Opera Populaire, but no one really bothered to find out why he committed suicide. 

They were much too busy trying to memorize lines and choreography than they were confused on how this man ended up in the Opera house anyway.

No examination was made on his body, and nobody cared much either way anyway.

They returned the body to the cellars of the Opera Populaire after they found no family or social connections.

No one mourned over the loss of the Opera Ghost. No one remembered him. No one asked for his advice. No one gave him a place to rest. No one even gave him a funeral.

Though different though these two people seem, I'm about to tell you that they were not so different. Maybe if they had met, they might have understood each other.

They might have been special to each other. But since they never properly met, the girl settled for a loveless marriage (on her part), and the boy fell madly in love- and sadly, never recovered.

She was his downfall.

So you see, the two had more in common than what had first met your eyes. You see, there was something missing that they both desperately wanted.

_Love._

Yes, both desperately craved love.

One once had an abundance of love, while the other sadly never experienced it at all.

Yes, they both missed love.

And in that big absence, they both felt irreplaceably incomplete.


	2. My Dearest Friend

Two Souls

Chapter 1- My Dearest Friend

* * *

I think the most important thing in live is love. I think that's probably why I never really had any boyfriends. Christine- my best friend- she always had scads and scads of boyfriends. Boys flocked to her like hopeless sheep.

But out of all those boys that that she could have chosen, Christine chose Raoul de Chagny.

I had had a crush on 'pretty boy' Raoul since I was a freshman in high school, and somehow I had convinced myself that I was in love with him.

I had never told Christine that I was in love with Raoul. She was my best friend, and I guess self-sacrifice came all too easily for me.

_As long as they're happy. _I thought. _As long as _he's _happy._

I know it's not very nice of me… I should have been more worried about Christine… but the more I heard about Christine and Raoul together, I grew to resent Christine more and more, almost to the point of hatred.

I never told Christine about my secret love for Raoul- I didn't trust ANYONE to understand- not even my mother. And I told my mother _everything. _

I think I was afraid that I would be hated. So every time I saw Raoul kiss Christine, flaunt her or something, I died a little inside. However cliché it sounded, I wanted to be in Christine's place, having Raoul kiss me whenever we pleased, flaunting _me._

The year when something actually happened with Raoul and me was the end of my junior year. I had bottled up so many of my feelings for Raoul that I thought I might burst, or at least grow some gray hair.

Well, everything changed when I first saw _him._ I first saw him in my school's auditorium, when I was practicing singing with the piano.

I liked practicing in the auditorium. I liked how my voice carried from the stage to the uppermost balconies, into the boxes. Our school had used to be some Opera House back in the late eighteen hundreds, and they hadn't changed a thing about the stage.

Sometimes I liked to stand on the stage and close my eyes and imagine what it would have been like to sing a magnificent aria, (maybe _Hannibal_? Or that beautiful song from _The Magic Flute…_) and all the people in all of their finery of the eighteen hundreds clapping their hands and throwing roses onto the stage.

But I digress.

I was singing a song, and hopelessly plunking out the tune on the piano. I was always horrible at playing the piano. Yet another thing to add to my long list of faults.

Anyway, I was singing my best, when he finally revealed that he was there. He stood up suddenly. I hadn't even noticed he was there, but there he was, in one of the box seats. It was old, but I could make out that it was Box Five.

I stood up so suddenly that I knocked the piano bench over.

He stared at me, and I stared at him, trying to access just who this guy was. From where I was standing, he looked pretty tall. But there was something not right about his face. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something wasn't right.

Everything about him was intense. He had these very intense blue eyes. So blue I thought they were almost white at first glance. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he had a frown. I bit my lip, not knowing what to expect.

I supposed this was the type of guy you probably wouldn't notice on first glance. Maybe you would have to take a double take or something. Before you realized he was there, actually taking up space. I hadn't seen him before.

"You're singing too high." He said, and glided down the stairs to the stage, then to the piano, where I was standing. "You're an alto. You'll strain and ruin your voice if you try to sing soprano."

I didn't say anything. What WOULD I say? That he was right, I was an alto, but all the main roles in all of the drama plays were soprano?

Well, they were all things to say… but saying them felt foolish. I stayed silent.

"Aren't you friends with Christine?"

No need to say last names here. There was only one Christine.

"Yes," I said, looking down at the floor. The guy grinned. Senior? I thought, wildly. He wasn't a junior, and he was too old to be an underclassman.

"Aren't you in love with de Chagny?" He said, leaning on the Steinway.

Dear God, how did he know? I hadn't told anyone!

"How… how did you know that?" I said, startled. Dear God, did Raoul know? Worst of all, did Christine know? She would never forgive me. I'd never forgive myself.

"Little girl, it's obvious." He said, half grinning. And looking slightly evil, I might add. "I might be able to help you if you help me." He said, looking like he was amused by me.

I felt like a guinea pig.

"What?"

"What if I told you that I could help you win Raoul if you could help me get Christine?"

Oh, it figured. Another one of Christine's many stalkers, hell bent on winning Mademoiselle Daae. I opened my mouth to say no. Never, never, never.

But then again… Raoul…

"Alright." I said instead, feeling slightly ill.

He smiled- beamed, really- and reached his hand out to shake mine. I slowly extended mine, and we shook hands.

I felt like I had made a pact with the devil. Just a tiny bit.

We made a promise to meet each other to execute a plan after school… and he told me his name. Erik Leroux. And he was a senior, just as I thought.

"Stay away from soprano songs," He reminded me, smugly as he strutted away- he strutted, actually _strutted_!-, and out of the auditorium.

I was left to right the piano bench by myself and think about what I had done.

It was when I was walking out of the auditorium, after gathering up all my sheet music, when I realized what was making his face so striking. It was his nose. It was a little too large.

* * *

**A/N-**

HEY ALL!

Sorry if you guys think Erik is OOC in this chapter.

He'll be better next chappy! Yay!

Um… my dad's yelling at me, so no long note. REVIEW PLEASE!


	3. If You Dont Mind

Two Souls Chapter 2- If You Don't Mind

* * *

That stupid girl was afraid of me. What on earth was she afraid of? The old me- yes, the Opera Ghost me- was a figure to be afraid of. 

I had changed for Christine. I had come out of the shadows. I had taken a page out of that stupid fop's book and became more gentleman-like. That was the type of man Christine liked. Gentlemen.

I saw the error I made when I had first pursued Christine, and I was determined to fix that situation. I had _changed._ I was no longer that monster that hid in the shadows, hiding his face from the world. I was now a gentleman.

That is the difference between a monster and a man- a man is unafraid of his fellow human beings, while a monster... while a monster...

I had _changed!_ Why didn't she love me?

_Why didn't she love me?_

Why was I the only person that could remember the Opera Populaire? Time had erased the memories of the people who once lived in these halls. And now it was just plain cruel.

The stunning statues and images that I designed had changed over time and some had disappeared completely. It changed a beautiful work of art (MY OPERA HOUSE!) into some school for students interested in studying the arts.

It disgusted me as I watched the ballet dormitories from my old life become the science class rooms, the dressing rooms, and even my precious Christine's dressing room turned into _STORAGE CLOSETS_!

Why is it that all from the past come to places they once knew so well? Why is it that Meg Giry and the rest of the ballet rats are in the school now, blissfully unaware of what it truly was? Why is it that I was sent here, instead of the local public school? Why is it that Christine chose to study Voice here, of all places?

Why do I see her everywhere, but yet again, I am unable to touch her?

The answer was clear- there was something that needed to be done, that wasn't done before. And I knew exactly what it was.

Those were my thoughts as I waited for Giry outside of ...school, leaning against the my beautiful former Opera House.

_She_ appeared, panting, in the parking lot.

"You're late," I growled, looking at my watch.

Her eyes widened stupidly, and I grew even more angry, just by her expression. Why had I picked the little Giry girl? Out of the myriad of girls throwing themselves at de Chagny, I picked Christine's best friend. And she was an idiot.

"No I'm not!" She cried, pulling up the red and gold uniform blazer sleeve to get a good look at her watch. It was one of those new electronic ones.

"You're five minutes late." I snapped, and grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my car.

I told her how the plan was to unfold- that she was to distract de Chagny, and I would distract Christine, and eventually they would fall in love with us instead.

The girl nodded, not looking at me, but instead out of the windshield. Christine and that idiot ex viscount were sitting in the courtyard, talking. Christine had a lovely smile on her face... the embodiment of sunshine and summer.

I suddenly felt VERY angry and clenched my fists. How dare they be happy together?

How dare they?

"Erik, I don't think this is right." The girl murmured, softly. So softly I almost hear her over my rage. I didn't want to hear her. "They're happy together... look at them..."

She looked at me. "I'd rather have him happy with _her_ than be miserable with me."

I merely growled that the plan was still on, and that it would start tomorrow. She nodded in understanding and left the car, saying that she'd see me tomorrow.

I watched her go back inside with a new sort of fury and hate for her- everything about her, even that red and gold uniform that she wore.

How could she be so pure hearted when all I was was selfish?

* * *

**Author's Note**- Sorry it took so long to update... I went to California... and I'm going to West Virginia to teach some kids Arts and Crafts for five weeks... so please don't desert 2 Souls! It will be updated! It will!

Just sparingly. :3


	4. I'd Like to Join You

Chapter 3- I'd Like to Join You

* * *

With Erik's encouragement, I decided that I could do it. I could win Raoul. I could totally do it. It would be easy.

But would it be wrong?

Erik didn't seem to think so. He seemed to think that we were doing them a favor. He was certain that Christine belonged with him. I was determined to push my conscience aside. It was being overactive.

_This was my chance! This was my chance!_

…And I was afraid. How could I possibly allure ANYONE away from Christine, let alone _Raoul_. I made a list of all the possible things I could do to um… change his affections. Was I really qualified for this job?

Well, no, not really, no. So much so that it was quite funny. Hilarious, actually. So funny I wanted to vomit.

I ran into my house and up my stairs and into my room. And then I closed the door and flung myself on my bed. I stared at the ceiling, then rolled over for a change and stared at my phone, resting comfortably in it's cradle.

I thought for just about a half an hour.

And then I picked up the phone, bunched in numbers I had memorized well, and I waited, rolling onto my back and inserting a ballpoint pen into my mouth.

"Hello, Raoul?" I said, after my dear Raoul greeted whoever was on the other side of the line. Me! He greeted me! Well, unknowingly, but a girl can only take so much depressing logic in one day.

"Hello? Who is this? Christine?" He said, confused.

He didn't even know who he was speaking to, and already I was being compared to Christine.

"Um… close, but not really. It's Meg," Recognition, any time now, if you please.

"Who?"

Any time now.

This was a bad idea. Damn you, Erik Leroux the senior!

"Meg… Meg Giry. You know… Christine's best friend?"

_Idiot._

"T-the blond one?" He said. I could HEAR him thinking hard.

This was doomed before it even began. I knew it.

"Yeah… the blond one. Listen, Raoul-," I began.

"How did you get my number? Did Christine give it to you?" Did I detect a glimmer of hope at the mention of Christine?

"No, I got it out of the school directory," This was getting annoying. But I wasn't annoyed at dear, sweet Raoul. Just Christine and her unassuming charm that I had the misfortune to lack. "Listen, though, Raoul-,"

"Oh," he said, disappointment setting in. "Well… why did you call me? Does Christine need something? Is she over there? Can I talk to her?"

_Shit_, man.

I was beginning to like conversation with Erik Leroux, Mr. Senior. All he may have talked about was Christine, too, but at least he let me get a full sentence in.

"Ah, no. I wondered if you could help me in science class. I'm doing poorly in tests and I need a tutor. Will you help me?" I just blurted it out.

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "I don't know, Meg. Christine might not like…"

"Good God, Man, I just asked you to help me study, not date me!" I cried, annoyed beyond all reason.

"All right." He said.

"All right." I repeated his words, feeling relieved. And that wasn't B.S., either. I really DID need help in science class. I just hoped he was good at it.

"I'll meet you in the library at third frame tomorrow, all right?"

He grunted in response. Wonderful.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

Grunt.

"Bye."

I put the phone back on the cradle. Well, he certainly wasn't acting very gentlemanly. He must have been in a bad mood. He must have. He was a very, very, sweet man. I knew it.

I hoped, anyway.

I rolled over on my back again and stared at the ceiling.

My eyes fluttered shut and sleep claimed me.

I dreamt the stupidest thing. I dreamt that I, Meg Giry, had lived in the Opera Populaire and saw a man die before my very eyes.

His body shook, trying to shake away death setting inside his body, hanging from the catwalk.

I screamed, and a fellow ballet girl ran into my arms. "The Phantom! The Phantom! The Phantom of the Opera is here!"

"The Opera Ghost!" I cried, and sat up, screaming back into reality- "MAMAN!"

* * *

**A/N- **I'm leaving for camp today, you guys, so I'm afraid I can't update until my next afternoon off. I'll talk to you guys then. Sorry!

If you liked **Two Souls, **You also will like **Dawn's Harmonium **by Mademoiselle Justica! So check it out!


	5. By Your Side

Two Souls

Chapter 5- By Your Side

* * *

"So, you called him." Erik Leroux, Mr. Senior's voice said.

I switched my phone from my left hand to my right so I could doodle on my folder with my ballpoint pen.

"I called him," I repeated.

I was proud of myself. I had never called a _boy_ before. Well, that was untrue. Unless I was asking for a homework assignment or something of the like. A boy I had feelings for. I stuck the pen in my mouth and chewed absentmindedly. "I asked him to tutor me in science."

"Tutor you?" The voice said from the other side of the line. "Giry, he's absolutely incompetent to be a tutor for you. I greatly advise you to seek another."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Senior," I said, talking still with the pen in my mouth. "-but he gets good grades. And he's intelligent-,"

There was a snort from the other side of the line. That made me feel upset, and I bit down on the pen harder than I meant to and I felt something squirt into the back of my throat.

I let out a little scream of panic and threw myself and the phone down off my bed and sprinted to the bathroom. I leaned over the sink and spit out a mouthful of blue ink.

I screamed and shouted colorful language- as colorful as that damn blue ink. I gargled water. But my mouth was blue, and the ink had dyed my skin.

"MARGEURITE!" My mother shouted and stormed into my bathroom. "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU SHOUTING?"

I looked up at her, and my mother went pale. "Meg, honey-,"

"Maman, it won't come out!"

My mother grabbed a paper towel, and rubbed my mouth. She murmured soothing words, but I was crying too hard to listen.

A half hour later, we had gotten most of it off of my face- but I was still very much blue around my mouth, and it was staying put.

"You'll have to wear a lot of make up tomorrow," My mother said, looking at me like she was despairing of me. I gave a desperate wail.

My mother walked to the door and took a last sad look at my face, imagining my fate. "Meg, baby, don't forget that you're going to Aunt Antoinette's tomorrow."

She stepped to the doorframe, and almost all of her disappeared from my sight, except for her French manicured nails. She stepped back, and I saw a confused expression screw up her face. "When have you ever called me 'Maman'?"

I blinked. I had no idea that I had even called her a different name than usual. But it was true. I never called my mother 'Maman'. It was always the usual 'mama' or 'mom' or even the occasional 'mommy', but 'Maman' had snuck in there without me even noticing, like it was second nature.

I shrugged. And she shrugged, and walked out.

I took one last sad, hopeless look at the mirror before dashing out of the bathroom.

My phone lay on my floor, looking depressed at being discarded so easily. I picked it up and pressed it to my ear, closing my eyes. Was Mr. Senior still on the other side of the line, or had he hung up?

"Erik?" I said, nervous of the verbal abuse I was certain to experience if he was still on the line.

Dial tone. He had hung up.

I replaced the phone on its cradle and flopped down on my bed. And I threw that damn pen as hard as I could out the window.

* * *

"Meg, did you eat too much blue Jell-o?" One Wise Guy cracked as I walked down the ancient halls of Populaire High School, innocently trying to get to literature class.

"Leave me alone," I growled. He gave a 'woo!'-ing noise and backed off, and his clique laughed at my expense. I glowered and moved on.

I had put on a ton of make up, but the blue from the pen still could be seen, and it had just not come out over the night. It was cursed.

_I _was cursed.

…And that's when I ran into a poster. I grabbed it away from my face, and took a good look at it.

"Populaire High School's Semi-Annual Talent Show?" I said, reading the poster out loud. "It's your chance to shine! Exhibiting all of our talented young students for a night of fun…"

I looked up to see who had shoved the poster into my line-of-walkage.

Of course, it was Erik Leroux, Mr. Senior. "What is this, Mr. Senior?" I waved it in front of his face, just to annoy him.

He grabbed it away from me. "We're going to be in the talent show." Erik said, simply.

I dropped my jaw and grabbed the poster away from him, again. "I- I can't be in a _talent show!_ I- I have no talent! I'll just embarrass myself."

Erik rolled his eyes and grabbed it back from me. "You can sing and you can dance. You won't embarrass anyone."

I grabbed it back. "I haven't danced in years, Mr. Senior. And how do you know I won't embarrass myself?"

He tried to grab it back. His voice was getting loud, and kind of scary. "You used to dance ballet, you still can, and I'm sure of it. And I won't let you. I'm going to teach you to sing beautifully_. And you had better do it, or_ _ELSE._"

The poster ripped in half, and I dropped my piece in shock. "'And I had better do it or else'?" I repeated, dazed. "I'm not your slave, and I don't have to do everything you say, and I say 'NO' to the talent show!" I pushed Erik away, and stormed off from him.

It was quite certain that I would be late for literature class, anyway.

"COME BACK HERE!" Erik yelled. But I didn't return. And there was no way I was going to sing in that talent show.

NO. WAY.

* * *

**AN**-

Just so you guys know- Meg's mother today is NOT Madame Giry. Madame Giry is now Meg's aunt that she is visiting 'tomorrow'.

And that's really all I have to say. Toodle-loo and **review**!


	6. Where We Can Gaze

**AN- Okay, WHERE ARE ALL THE MEG/ERIK GRAPHICS?**

Seriously, have they all gone into hiding? If any of ya'll have any M/E graphics… can you email them to me, SVP? My email is on my author page.

Chapter 6- Where We Can Gaze

* * *

Two days had passed and Erik had not managed to convince me to do the talent show. I had remained steadfast- unyielding. And I strutted through the corridors, extremely proud of myself.

"Excuse me, miss?" A boy said, tugging on my scarlet blazer as I had been strutting to the library (or as much strutting could be allowed, when I was about to meet the boy of my dreams for a round of tutelage). "Can you point me in the right direction of the library?"

His hair was dark black, and his eyes were pleasing shade of light brown. I blinked, and did a mental double take. Was he a freshman? I didn't think I had ever seen him before… I gave him a polite smile.

I nodded, and he started talking, and talking and _talking._ All the way to the library. One glance told me that Mr. Senior was present, as well as Mr. Raoul. And then he followed me all the way to Raoul's table, talking about how much he liked the wall color in the senior lounge.

I smiled and nodded, saying: "Yes, that shade of green does look like a nice shade of uncooked broccoli, doesn't it?"

He bent down and grabbed my hand, and before I could resist, he spoke in very bad foreign language I thought was English… but I wasn't too sure anymore. He bent down and pressed his lips to the top of my hand.

"My-," I said, suddenly undone by this sudden display of chivalry. And suddenly unable to find "My name's Meg,"

"Tyson," he said, and my mouth dropped. My God, who was this charming man, this man that replaced the boy who yapped nonstop only moments before?

Someone cleared their throat and I was quite sure that I was very pink all over. I looked around and I saw Mr. Senior's eyes glare at me with the hate of a thousand hells. And Raoul just looked confused.

And that was when Christine walked in, and officially all hell broke loose. Raoul stood up and ran over to greet Christine, muttering words of adoration. I ran over to Erik, muttering words of annoyance, and Tyson ran over to me, just talking.

"Erik, what on earth is she doing here? I thought this was going to be just me and Raoul-,"

"Christine, why are you here, my love? I thought you were going to wait for me by the cafeteria after the period ended-,"

"Christine has every right to be here, Giry-,"

"…And that is when I decided that I would go on the stage and perform in the talent show. I think I will sing '_If Ever I Would Leave You,_' from Camelot-,"

"Why are YOU even here, Mr. Senior? If you are thinking on checking up on me, you're wrong, Mister- WRONG!"

I poked Erik hard on the chest, and pulled Raoul away from Christine, and plopped him right down onto his chair. I opened the biology text book to page 154.

I glared at him, and said, in a defiant voice, "Teach me."

* * *

_A Fifty-Seven percent? Im… impossible! _

I stared at the grade in absolute horror. I had studied all night in VAIN? I took a practice test with Raoul, and he said I got all the answers right. How could that possibly be?

I read the little red pen marks that dotted along the page, leaving rather embarrassing comments.

_Contrary to what you may think, Meggin, 'gas' is not a type of Noble Gas._

And there was another;

_No, Meggin, Sir Isaac Newton did not make the first Philosopher's Stone._

More embarrassing was that my name wasn't Meggin, it was Marguerite, but with every correction, she called me 'Meggin'. And that strangely infuriated me.

I crumpled the test into my hand and stormed off down the hall.

And then I ran straight into Erik, Mr. Senior. Damn him for getting in my way!

"Giry-,"

"WHAT!" I screamed, very much pissed off at the moment. Erik's eyes widened and backed off… that was, until he saw that I had dropped the Science test.

"What's this?"

He picked it up and he started to laugh. Not a polite chuckle, but an all out _GUFFAW_.

"EXCUSE ME!" I said, standing there like an idiot as Erik laughed his ass off right in front of me at the impossibly bad Science test score.

He stopped laughing so hard and attempted to breathe. "I'll… I'll tutor you in science…" He took a big breath and I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently. "I'll tutor you if you agree to do the talent show with me."

Well… what could I do? If I failed science, my mother and my Aunt Antoinette would decapitate me in one fell swoop.

So. I agreed. And that's what led to me sitting in front of Erik at his apartment (5F) and him pointing out that the periodic table really wasn't so hard once you understood the miracle of element stability.

But still, I couldn't remember any aristocratic airs… or royal gases… noble gases?

Whatever. The point was that I was staring at the table (propped up against the wall with the salt and pepper shakers on his dining room table.

I was chewing on my mechanical pencil absentmindedly and staring at the table-chart like Erik was making it do a tap dance.

And Erik was rattling on about zirconium… or zinnias?

My mind wandered and I found myself daydreaming.

* * *

"_CHRISTINE!" I screamed as she disappeared right from the stage- right in front of my eyes. "Oh my God! CHRISTINE!" I ran on to stage, looking for anything that might have told me where she disappeared to. _

_I desperately fell down on my hands and knees, pawing the floor of the stage, looking for absolutely anything. _

_Nothing…_

_I looked up and received the worst surprise that I had ever seen in my life- Piangi! Strangled! Dead! On the bed! I screamed the loudest I have ever screamed in my life- and the audience behind me went into a panic. _

"_IT'S HIM!" I screamed… _

"_Where is he?" I heard Christine's lover yell to my mother…_

"_Come with me _monsieur, _I will take you to him… but remember- keep your hand at the level of your eyes!"_

"_But why?"_

_I ran to them and grabbed my mother's arm. For Christine's safety, I would go. I would plunge down into the bowels of the Opera House and confront the Phantom of the Opera for Christine's safety._

_And then I would apologize for all my sins against her… _

_I raised my hand above my eyes. She had taught me well to defend myself against the monster of the Phantom of the Opera._

"_Like this, monsieur! I'll come with you!" I said, wailing with guilt and worry._

"_No, no! Meg, you must stay here. Hurry monsieur or we will be too late!"_

"_NO!" I screamed, and rushed back to my dressing room, throwing on a pair of pants and then running down to Christine's dressing room…

* * *

_

"MEG!" Erik bellowed, and I snapped back to reality so fast that I fell off of my chair. "If you're not going to pay attention, you might as well leave."

"Sorry." I said, getting up from the floor. "I'm just very tired."

I looked down at my notebook where I really should have been taking notes, but I hadn't written anything.

"I'm going to get some water." Erik said, exasperated. And he excused himself.

I stared down at that journal and I absentmindedly drew calligraphy.

"What are you doing?" Erik said, and yanked my journal away from me before I could properly protest.

"'The Phantom of the Opera'?" He read through my horrible calligraphy. "Why are you thinking about… _him?"_

He sounded like he hated the guy.

"I had a dream about him…" I said, feeling sheepish. "Just now."

He tossed it back at me, and then seemed to get a realization.

"You- you had a dream?"

"Yes…" I said, wondering what he was on about.

"About…him?"

"Yes…"

He stared at me… and I stared at him… it was like a very intense staring contest.

And… then he cleared his throat and continued talking at me about periodic tables.

Or… Comma Tables?

_Augh._

* * *

AN- YAY! IT IS FINALLY DONE.

Omg I'm sorry it took SO long you guys, but this was SUCH a hard chapter to write. But never fear. It will be better next time.

Cause it's ERIKS POV!

What, what!

Anyway, I just thought I'd give you warning- I'm going to be posting the EXTENDED ENDING of YAMOO soon- featuring hot extra scenes. Like, who wrote FWSE and YAMOO?

Anyway, check it out. YAMOO Extended Edition coming at you soon.


	7. Into the Stars

Two Souls

Chapter 7- Into the Stars

* * *

"_You've heard from him?" I say excitedly, as I scuttle into the room._

_Christine is sitting on her vanity chair, nodding so exuberantly that her curls are bouncing all over her face. She giggles as I rush over and kneel in front of her._

"_He's written again!" She says, breathless as she hands the letter to me. I open it carefully so as to not hurt the sealing wax. It's very ornate; a rose stamped into it. The creases where the letter was folded are worn; she has opened and read it many times before._

_I scan the page. My! How wonderful his handwriting is! I always admire a man with wonderful handwriting. _

"My dearest Christine," _I say, pronouncing each word as aristocratically as I can. _"I have to decree how much I enjoyed your performance as Elissa in the newest production of Hannibal…"

_Come on, get to the good stuff._

"_Skip over that, Meg." Christine says, almost jumping up and down in her seat in excitement. "Go to where he says _'and good fortune'_." _

_I happily skip over the fawning over Christine's musical talent and how she sings like the very archangels themselves, and find the place where she wants me to start again._

"and good fortune. I hope that you will remember our engagement- six thirty at the foyer de danse-,"

_I pause. "The foyer? But Christine-," The foyer de danse is a place of mischief, and well… sexual gratification- and I can tell that Christine is blushing. Why did she want me to read this? _

_Was she telling me that she was…_

_I don't want to think of it. I break off and give the letter back to her. "_Respectfully yours, etcetera, Raoul, Viscount De Chagny." _I end on a very un-aristocratic way._

"_Meg, we are just meeting to go to dinner." Christine says. She is making excuses._

_I glare at her. She looks upset._

_Well, she can just go jump off of a bridge. She knows that I enjoy reading her letters, and that I pretended that he was writing those words to me in that perfect, flowing handwriting._

"_Stop lying," I say, getting up to leave. "You both are just going to a hotel."_

"_Meg! That's not true."_

"_Why did you give me that letter?" I say, feeling like I'm about to cry. "WHY?"_

_She did it to torture me! I love him! I love him and she knows! She's parading her relationship!_

_I hear cry surrounding us—a cry that I agreed with— stunned jealousy mixed with hate. I scream as well and run out of the room. The din is so loud that Christine covers her ears._

_I hope she dies._

"Meg," My mother says, shaking me awake. I moaned pitifully and looked around to see where I had fallen asleep through half-closed eyes. The couch, as per usual. "Meg, I'm late already. You have to get up so we can say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" I said, groggily, but now I was awake.

_Time to say goodbye.  
__Paesi che non ho mai  
__Veduto e vissuto con te,  
__Adesso si li vivro  
__Con te partiro  
__Su navi per mari  
__Che, io lo so,  
__No, no, non esistono piu,  
__It's time to say goodbye._

"Yes," My mother said, plopping her suitcase down on the couch so hard that I bounced up. "My firm is sending me to America for a week and a half."

Now I was DEFINITELY awake.

"They gave me no notice, Meg, I have to go or I'm fired."

'That's ridiculous. Doesn't the Union, like, forbid that?"

My mother gave a groan like I had said something stupid again and shoved a tie in her briefcase that was, for some odd, strange reason, on the lampshade. We aren't really the neatest people in the world, here.

"You're going to stay with Aunt Antoinette for the first seven days and then with Christine for the rest. I just called them. Thank God they had enough room to take you.

"Now go and pack some stuff. I've got an hour to be on that plane."

* * *

And that was how I ended up at my batty old Aunt Antoinette's house. 

"Sit down, Meg," My aunt said, gesturing like a dancer to her overstuffed sofa. She adjourned for the kitchen

I sat down.

Her cat, Ayesha, snaked onto my lap, demanding to be petted. I scratched behind her ears half-heartedly, but whole-heartedly hating the whole idea that I was here.

"Margeurite," My kooky aunt said, coming back from the kitchen with tea. Ayesha dug her claws into my thighs, and then satisfied with my screams of pain; she snaked away, disgusted with my petting-skills.

"OW! GOD DAMN IT! STUPID CAT!"

My aunt blissfully ignored Ayesha, and my screams of pain.

"I hear that you are being tutored in science and voice by a student at your school?"

My aunt never said the name of my school... always 'your school'. Like she couldn't bear to say that.

"Yes," I said, not really paying attention. "He's coming over. Is that alright?"

"Of course, darling," she said, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

* * *

"Are you alright?" I asked my aunt, who suddenly went very pale at the sound of 'Bolero' echoing from the door. 

My aunt, instead of having a normal doorbell like any self respecting Parisian, had a doorbell that sounded Bolero. She said as not to scare the cat. But I think she's just batty.

"Yes, quite. Meg, dear, why don't you answer the door?"

She said it more like a command than a request. But I answered it anyway, just to be nice.

There was Mr. Senior, looking like a train just hit him while the last bit of Bolero bellowed out of the doorbell.

"Please don't ask." I said, mortified. I moved out of the way for him to come in, which he did. He was looking around warily, like he was expecting my aunt to come out of the closet dressed in a suit of armor, swinging a battle ax and screaming bloody murder at him.

He simply looked at me, then looked around the house, and then asked where the piano was. It was very convenient for my aunt to have a Steinway in the house.

"JUST DON'T PUT ANY DRINKS ON IT!" My aunt yelled every so often at us, protecting her precious grand piano. I rolled my eyes.

"Barking mad,"

Mr. Senior, showing great patience, ignored all of this and simply set up the sheet music on the stand.

"I took the liberty of adjusting the music so the lady's part will be an alto. I hope that is acceptable to you."

I looked at the title of the piece… '_Point of No Return_' from the opera _Don Juan Triumphant…_

Wait a second; he wanted ME to sing _opera_?

"Yeah." I said, simply. "Hey, Mr. Senior—I mean, Erik—I've never heard this song before." I flipped through the pages. Three pages of sheet music! "How am I supposed to practice if I've never heard it before?"

"You have heard it before. It will come back to you." Mr. Senior dismissed. He started to play, but then broke off, like he had just processed something. "Did you just call me _'Mister Senior_'?

"No." I said, a little too quickly. Erik backed off of the subject and started to play the piano.

And then he started to sing.

Dear God.

I had doubts, early on, about how this singing thing would work out. But once he had opened his mouth and sang, I completely took all of my thoughts back. This man could sing like an angel from heaven!

It was a miracle! I closed my eyes, wrapping myself around the lovely aura of his voice. What kind of a man… what kind of a man _was_ this?

The piano trailed off. "That was your cue, Meg." He said, sounding rather sad.

"I'm sorry." I said… for two reasons. Why was he so sad? Was he sad to be singing it to me, instead of Christine?

"It's alright."

It wasn't. He was somewhere between annoyed and depressed. I felt a sort of compassion. For Erik.

"Try again," Erik said, hitting the notes on the piano.

"You have brought me, to that moment when words run dry, to that moment when speech disappears into silence, silence. I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why. In my mind, I have already imagined our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent…"

I gasped.

This song…

This song…

This song was _immoral!_

"Keep going," Mr. Senior growled.

"And now I am here with you, no second thoughts. I've decided… Decided…" I was blushing while I was singing those words. Why was this cleared by the staff of the talent show?

"Past the point of no return, no going back now! Our passion play has now begun. Past all thought of right or wrong, one final question. How long should we two wait before we're one? When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst in to bloom? When will the flames at last consume us? Past--,"

"That's enough for today." Erik stood up. "You did well." He gathered the sheet music and got the heck out of there.

…

Did I do something wrong?

* * *

**Author's Note - **

Hi guys! So sorry it took so long to update. And, alright, I lied. It's Meg's POV. XD. I'm so sorry if Erik is OOC. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME IF HE IS! (I'm quite anxious about it.)

ALSO!

The song that Meg thinks of when waking up is called TIME TO SAY GOODBYE, and is sang by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.

POINT OF NO RETURN belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber (that darling man).


End file.
